S.B. 450 amends the state governmental ethics laws to
expand the prohibition covering unclassified employees to include
all such employees of the Executive Branch of state government,
except unclassified employees of state institutions who are under
the supervision of the State Board of Regents, from soliciting or
accepting anything of value from any person except for gifts,
meals, or travel provided under specific circumstances.

Current law prohibits the Governor and the Governor's
spouse, the Lieutenant Governor, classified employees, unclassified employees in the Executive Branch of state government
whose salary is subject to the Governor's approval, and members
of boards, commissions, and authorities of the Executive Branch
from soliciting or accepting anything of value except under certain
circumstances. The bill would not apply to the Legislative or
Judicial Branches of state government.

Unclassified employees subject to the bill could be terminated
from employment and subject to civil fines assessed by the
Kansas Commission on Governmental Standards and Conduct for
a violation of the state governmental ethics laws.

Background

A representative from the Kansas Commission on Governmental Standards and Conduct testified that S.B. 450 was recommended by the Commission in its 1997 Annual Report.

The Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government
amended the bill by including unclassified employees of state
institutions under the supervision of the State Board of Regents in
the prohibitions.

The Senate Committee of the Whole rereferred the amended
bill to the Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government,
which passed the bill without further amending it. The Senate
Committee of the Whole further amended the bill by exempting
state institution unclassified employees from the prohibition of
accepting anything of value.

The fiscal note indicated no fiscal impact would result from
the enactment of the bill.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext-bill.html.